Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-10
THE NUDE IN ART.
War Against 1t Broken Out Afresh
in the Capital.

Ia the capital.
WASHINGTON, April 9.-The war
against the nude in art has again begun
TO rage in Washington. The American
-matron objects to Turkish bath draperles
ON prepossessing pictures of beautiful
women, as exhibited in shop windows.
The controversy is an old one. and is sure
OF revival every now and again. Last
year an animated dispute was aroused in
London. by the published statementot no
less an artist than a certain prominent
Royal Academclan, who avowed that
nude models were depravng and I'M
necessary. The human figure, he maIn-
tained, could be painted from a wooden
dummy, and by this means studio NOR
atty would be vastly improved. Natu-
rally there followed a chorus of shrieks,
tutti OF insulted nude sitters, protesting
that Lucretia herself was not more chaste
than they; of subllmely Virtuous painters
whose "leeling for color" and whose
"technique' magniticently triumphs over
all such petty sensations as are usually
Inherent in man born Of woman; and of
risky art patrons who never buy pictures
OF children going to church or OF mother
getting tea. The battle OF words ended
where 1t began, and the whole situation
Is IN statu quo. 1t Is matter which
never can be settled, for the simple rea-
sou that human opinions are AS various
as human noses. Religious proclivities
do not cause to be taken among all artists
the view OF the anti-nuders. For exam
pie, Mr.. Watts, whose modes OF thought
and life are pious and grave In the eX-
IRENE, Joined the controversy long enough
to say that the nude model was indispen-
sable In all hgure painting, obviously so
to painter of nude figures, like himself.
Last year at the GrosVenor Gallery w ats
had two nuditles: one u woman; naked
to the waist, with long streaming golden
hair, and helmet on her head, Rn early
British amazon, think; the other, pale
faced, haggard-eyed boy, a tull-length,
utterly naked, being dragged half faint
ing up stony steep, by bitterly reso-
lutte, scowling faced, heavily drapsd an
gel; the angel OF lite, in whose physical
pains and mental anguish the suffering
youth is receiving his sad initiation. To
paint these two wonderful pictures with
jointed dolls as models would, of course,
have been impossible. Whistler gave a
larky note OF sneerlng protest against no.
ticlng the meddling Of Pecksnifhan crit
les OF the precious art OF painting; and
although L am not acquainted with any
nude figure from WhlsLler's palette, who
can look upon his marvellous portraits
and be unaware of the vital anatomy
which lives beneath the clothing, hiding
mere, discovering tner9, the unmiStRka able
contours OF the form divine? That man
with almost a woman's hips underneath
his dress suit trousers, that woman with
almost mans square shoulders rising
out OF her low lace bodice, are types that
only an artist would dare reproduce who
had found them In nature, not in the man.
nikins of the first oil and color shop;
just as there is often seen wild wltchery
OF shape among the clouds, and a loud
peal OF effulgence in their hymn of color,
which cause an observer to remark: ali
a painter had put those beauties upon
canvas we should say 1T is not true.'"
Now here let 1t once again be stated, Il r
the everlasting verify which 1t is, that IL g
True is always Beautiful and the B. autl-
full is always True. The Beautiful and
the True snould be our guides in every
path In life, not in that road only which
leads TO the Temple OF Art; but they
should ever be accompanied by their fair
est sister, the Good. With this Trinity,
the GOOD, the Beautiful and the True, we
are safe on every soil, let whatever Pagan
ruler be It's King. We discard the profit
gate taste in art which led the courtezan
Mana to order a marble statuette of her.
self, in puris, standing on her head; but
Watts nude fainting boy 10 worthy
shrine In every heart which knows what
life is, and has suffered, as all who are
born ana die must suffer. To criticise Its
nudity Is to insult that model OF divinity
In which man, the image OF his Maker.
was sublimely and mysteriously formed,
OLIVE LOGAN,